Christine Crosby, Black River Public School

Would you rather be the best player on a losing team or the worst player on a winning team? Why?

The choice between participating on a winning or losing team is a difficult decision due to many variables. Is the winning team winning the championship or simply the majority of the games? Is the losing team led by a coach who is upset with failure or who is willing to simply enjoy what the team does accomplish?

Without knowing the exact circumstances it's a hard decision to make. However, I feel that because of my uncompetitive nature and my desire to be a positive asset to a team that I would choose to be the best player on a losing team rather then the worst player on a winning team.

I have learned over years of playing on various sports teams and even in playing games with my family that I am not a very competitive person. I prefer to have fun and simply enjoy whatever activity I am participating in. If I was the worst player on a winning team I would feel pressure to be better and not let my team down. I wouldn't enjoy what I was doing because I would be worried about being an asset to the team. By being the best player on a losing team I would be free to enjoy what we were doing and not worry about always winning. My happiness with what I had accomplished would not be dependent on whether my team won or lost.

In high school, my older brother played on a baseball team that won the state championship. As a backup he often did not play. Through his experience I can see the merits of being the worst player on a winning team. Although he didn't contribute much to the victories of the team he really enjoyed being on the team because of the high that came with success and being part of something great.

However, my brother and I differ in two important ways. First of all, my brother is competitive whereas I am usually happy with a win or loss. Although I would have enjoyed being a part of a winning team it is not essential for me. The other way that we differ is that I feel more pressure to help and contribute to the team. If I was in his situation, the elation at winning the state championship would have been dimmed because I would have felt that I did not contribute. The team could have won without me and this goes against my desire to be useful and to help others.

Team competitions are not about winning to me. Rather, I enjoy being on a team to have fun and to be able to help contribute to a cause. For these reasons, I would prefer to be an asset on a losing team then to be the worst on a winning team.